Many forms of stands, and specifically many forms of stands suitable for supporting cut Christmas trees, are known. One such stand is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,242,270 to Sims and discloses a stand supported by a tripod leg arrangement which has a rotating disc at the top thereof. When the disc is rotated, arms are caused to move from adjacent the edge of the disc toward the center thereof and grasp a tree trunk held in the stand. Such action is adequate to grasp the tree, however, does nothing to promote vertical alignment of the tree trunk.
A stand which does provide for vertical alignment is taught by Almer, et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 1,076,205, and provides a compressible clamping member through which the tree trunk extends. The clamping member is fixed in a desired location to support the tree. However, this device provides a fulcrum about which the tree may tip if adequate compression is not placed on the compressible member.
Rostomily, U.S. Pat. No. 4,190,983 discloses a tree support device which allows movement of the base of the tree relative to an upper portion thereof to provide vertical alignment of the trunk.
St. George Syms, U.S. Pat. No. 4,261,138 discloses a Christmas tree holder which utilizes a variety of wedge shaped instrumentalities which enable the user to adjust the vertical alignment of the tree in the stand.
The known stands do not provide an easily operated gripping mechanism for holding the tree trunk nor do the stands provide easy-to-operate mechanisms for vertically aligning the object in the stand. The devices disclosed in the aforementioned references, while useful, are not easily adjusted, nor, in some instances, do they provide for positive control over the object mounted in the stand to ensure that the object will remain in a desired vertical position, and will not become loose or tip over.